Breaking the Beast (Seven Ways to Sin 5)

“That we do,” Étienne said, pulling me down so my body was firmly lodged between the two of them. “And we don’t intend to let you go for a very, very long time.”

“If ever,” Raphael added with a yawn.

Quietly, the eight of us quickly dropped off to sleep, bodies tangled together so it was almost impossible to tell where one ended and another began. Just before I drifted off, I found myself thinking: So this is what true contentment feels like. Then, soothed by the gentle heartbeats of the men around me, I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, safe and secure at last.

Epilogue: Isabel

The house was a bustle of activity, with caterers, carefully supervised by Isiah, rushing here and there. I wandered from room to room, looking for a way to be helpful, but it seemed that everything was going perfectly well without me.

“Looking for something?” a low voice asked behind me. I whirled to find Jacques, looking exquisite in an expertly fitted tuxedo, leaning in the doorway. Smiling, I went to his side, and his arm immediately encircled my waist.

“Just performing some last minute checks,” I said, leaning against his solid warmth. “I want everything to be perfect tonight.”

“It will be,” Jacques assured me. “And you look gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” I said, smoothing my hands down the front of my gold dress. It was far more eye-catching than my usual wardrobe, but my men had told me they liked to be able to spot me from across a room.

“I thought this was my event,” Jacques teased me. “What are you so nervous about?”

“I don’t know, exactly,” I admitted. “This is the first time I’ll see Bonita after my article came out.”

“But your article was a hit,” Jacques said, puzzled. “The presale numbers for your book are through the roof since it came out.”

I smiled despite myself. “I know, I’m just being silly.”

Smiling, Jacques nuzzled my cheek, then checked his watch. “Showtime,” he said, flashing the cheeky grin I loved so much. “Shall we?” He extended his arm, and I took it.

“Let’s,” I said.

Tonight’s event, a Halloween ball to raise funds for Jacques’ latest charitable venture, an organization that benefitted children in the foster care system in New York state, had taken far less time to fall into place than I’d thought possible. Once Jacques put his mind to something, he accomplished it in record time. I searched his face for any trace of anxiety. After all, this would be his first event since reemerging into the public world, so it would only make sense for him to be nervous, but I found none. At our insistence, Jacques had been seeing a therapist twice a week, and had been improving rapidly since his return from the hospital. He hadn’t had a panic attack in weeks.

As for me, I had experienced some nightmares in the weeks following the accident, but knowing that Luis was locked up, awaiting trial for arson and attempted murder, as well as sleeping between the warm bodies of the seven men I loved best in the world, had mostly kept those nightmares at bay.

I watched, proudly, as Jacques mingled with the guests, pausing here and there for brief conversation, never lingering for too long with one guest. One would never have guessed that this was his first social event in five years; he handled himself with expert grace.

Étienne appeared at my side. “He’s doing well,” he murmured.

“He is,” I agreed. Étienne squeezed my hand.

“You know,” he said, deceptively casual. “None of this would have happened without you.”

I scoffed. “Don’t be absurd. Jacques is strong. He would have gotten here on his own, with or without me.”

“He is,” Étienne agreed. “But you gave him the push he needed, the one none of us were able to. For that, all of us will be forever grateful.”

I beamed at him. Before I could answer, a familiar voice called my name, and Étienne slipped away. Bonita came toward me, arms expanded.

“I’ve been looking all over for you!” she said, embracing me. “This is quite the mansion, isn’t it?”

“You should have seen the last place,” I joked, and Bonita laughed.

“We’ll have to have a meeting soon,” she said. “To discuss your next steps. You’re the talk of the publishing world right now; people can’t wait to see what you’re going to do next.”

“We will,” I promised her.

She looked around. “I did tell you this assignment would be life changing for you, didn’t I?” she said, eyes twinkling. I laughed.

“You have no idea.”

Bonita took my hand and squeezed it, suddenly serious. “I’m so very proud of you,” she said. “And so glad that you’re all right. When I heard what had happened, I felt so guilty—”

“Guilty?” I said, baffled. “What would you have to be guilty about?”

“I sent you on this assignment,” Bonita said. “I never imagined that it might be dangerous…”